Subject:
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Re: Ebay - On the rise, indeed
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.market.theory
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Date:
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Sun, 19 Dec 1999 16:12:26 GMT
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Viewed:
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438 times
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Pawel Nazarewicz wrote in message ...
<snip Todd's answer to rhetorical question>
> They do, but e-bay is right now at the point where the traffic for • miniscule
> pieces is what I consider pretty high. Random people that are happy with • e-bay
> will log and and do a random search. For example:
>
> 5 Windshields from 6441 went for over $31.00 and had 103 hits during 7 • days.
>
> http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=209522930
>
> ... a set that was purchased online for $19.00 with free delivery. I guess • it
> all goes back to the information. If Mike has this great auction format • (as he
> does) and it's not seen as much as it should, it is still better (straight • up
> for profit) to sell on e-bay. My question was ... how much longer will • that be
> the case? I'm hoping that more AFOLs will find Mike's and Derick's page • and
> will choose to bid there. I know I have.
> -- pn
The purpose of my belated post is to answer the question Pawel actually
put forth, which sprung a thread, but was never answered. IMHO, the current
state of eBay (which is the same as eBay has been since its inception, just
not in the Lego category, as it is only in its adolescence) will continue
for quite a while (years, more than a decade maybe, but one category, Lego,
~could~ die out a bit sooner). I can recall doing the same thing you do
with other types of collectibles a couple years ago, and wondering how long
will this last? And, unfortunately, it continues.
The reason for such ~seemingly~ (to those of us lucky enough to be well
informed about Lego) high prices is called inefficiency in the market.
Lugnet has a pretty well devised plan (which might work) to decrease these
numerous causes of inefficiency (see "the plan"). It seems asinine at first
for the person who runs the best parts auction around to want to increase
the efficiency of the market (and see the prices go down). It may seem
asinine for a person like me (I sell a lot of "good," collectible Lego sets,
if you don't know me) to want to tear down inefficiency (and prices), too.
However, I believe the more efficient the market, the more Lego I will be
able to afford, and the more missing sets from my collection will become
available, so I am all for it. Todd's reasons, of which I can't be
altogether certain, but I would guess, are similar to mine and also to
subsidize this web site (which I assume he does currently with Auczilla).
Anyway, getting rid of inefficiency will bring down prices (hopefully!)
Todd's Lugnet plan and TLC's new Lego Direct should definitely do away with
much inefficiency, but only gradually, as they are implemented, and as word
of mouth spreads. I hope your not surprised to hear that most of the people
I find bidding on my eBay auctions have never heard of either S@H or Lugnet
(much less Bricks or SC). And they are, I would assume, serious Lego fans
nonetheless, as some of my sets get quite pricey. As these attacks on
efficiency are implemented, in theory, eBay prices should decline. However,
thats not a certainty...
eBay is still growing, too. And will continue to grow for several years,
unless we have a Y2K disaster, or some other catastrophe that destroys the
internet. That is more under-informed buyers being added all the time, and
so while some forces are taking away inefficiency in the market, and making
the market a more enjoyable and cheaper place to shop for some, other forces
will continue to make it quite costly (in the view of those in the know) for
others. This is going to last a while.
Finally, is Lego hot? Is it a fad at the moment? I don't think so. I
haven't heard that on the news, although SW Lego and Mindstorms are
certainly popular, I don't think they are considered to be like Beanies,
Pokemon or those little Pet things, or Tele-tubbies either. It is a real
market, which is going to be around for a long time to come, especially as
adults are starting to collect it (and playing again, too), and kids are
using the toys more and more. Of course, certain types of Lego vary in popu
larity, and that will continue, too. For a while, Castle mini-figs averaged
$7 each on eBay - now I think its more like $4 or $5 each. Its really up
and down for everything, which is another reason the ideas above are good -
they'll bring some stability.
--
Have fun!
John
The Legos you've been dreaming of...
http://www114.pair.com/ig88/lego
my weird Lego site:
http://www114.pair.com/ig88/
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Ebay - On the rise, or ... ?
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| (...) They do, but e-bay is right now at the point where the traffic for miniscule pieces is what I consider pretty high. Random people that are happy with e-bay will log and and do a random search. For example: 5 Windshields from 6441 went for over (...) (25 years ago, 9-Dec-99, to lugnet.market.theory)
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